Improvement in fabrics



J. E. GILLESP'IE.

j FABRIC. v N o.173,617, Patented Feb.15,1 8.76.

v pe wi7 daysa N PETERS. PHOTU-UTNOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C. y

NITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

JAMES E. GILLESPIE, 0F BOSTON, MAssAoHusETTs.

. IMPROVEMENT IN FABRICS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 173,617, dated February I5, 1876; application filed January 3, 1876.

Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Fabric, of which the following is a specification:

This invention relates to a fabric for the manufacture of belting, webbing, and otheruses where a strong, thick, compact fabric is needed or desired; and the invention consists in a fabric composed of four or more sets of warps, interlocked or woven together, substan tially as described, each set of two warps being locked alternately by an intermediate filling-thread, thereby tying each thread, as set forth.

-Figure l is a longitudinal section of the fabric, showing the method of interlocking the warps and weft, and Figs. 2 to 8 are diagrams, illustrating the several steps in the method of Weaving.

The warp-threads are raised and lowered, to form sheds for the passage of the shuttle, by means of heddles, mounted in harness-frames, lifted or depressed by cams, or in any wellknown way; and for a fabric such as represented, and having four sets of warps, and ca pable of making two independent fabrics, one above the other, were it not for the intermediate shuttle-threads, I employ four harnessframes and four sets of warps.

In the drawings, the picks of weft are represented by figures and the warps by letters. The set of warps forming one side the fabric are lettered a. b, and for the other side, 0 d. .The weft for the filling between the two warps a b is numbered 1, that for filling for the warps c d is numbered 3, and the welt for connecting at the center alternately each warpb'c and a d, tying the two fabrics together between the crossing of each weft l 3, is marked 2; and it will be noticed that the warps a b appear on but one side of the fabric and the warps 0 61 appear only on the other side, and after each insertion of weft between warps 66 b or c d, one

set of each pair a b is locked within the fabric with one of the warps c d and by a weft, 2, and the construction of the fabric is such that one face of the fabric, composed only of the one set of warps a b or c d, may be worn away and yet leave the other face and its filling undisturbed; for the warps and weft 1.3 form what would be two fabrics, were they not united, as set forth, by an intermediate weft, 2. This construction of fabric is of much value in the manufacture of belts or driving-bands one face of which is subjected to greater wear than the other, and also as a fabric for other purposes.

In a fabric for these purposes it is necessary to keep the warps as straight as possible, so that the fabric will have but little tendency to yield or give under longitudinal strain, and by locking each warp a b and c d at the center, or within the fabric, by a weft, 2, after the insertion of each weft l or 3 between warps a b or c d, I am enabled to form a fabric of great solidity and strength. In United States Patent No. 20,267 the ties which unite the single fabrics (by one warp of each locked with one of the other by an intermediate filling) do not immediately succeed each other, but are separated by an intermediate non-locking weft.

In Fig. 2, suppose the points 1 2 3 to represent weft laid and properly woven; then a shed is formed by lifting warps a c and d, and weft '1 is inserted; then, for the next shed, (see Fig. 3,) lower warp cl to position occupied by warp b and insert weft 2; for next shed, (see Fig. 4,) lower warp a and insert weft 3; then lift warps b and d (see Fig. 5) and insert weft 1; then lower warp 0 (see Fig. 6) and insert weft 2; then lower warp b (see Fig. 7) and insert weft 3 3 then raise again warps a c and d, (see Fig. 8,) as in Fig. 2, and insert weft I, repeating the operation.

In Fig. l, the longitudinal section, it will be noticed that warps a, and b appear only on one face of the fabric and warps 0 and d on the outside. The wefts represented by I are always in sheds formed between warps cand d, and wefts 3 between sheds formed in warps a.

and b, and the number of intermediate wefts 2 correspond in number with the wefts 1 and 3, and each weft 2 holds together alternately warps b o and a (1-.

In all thick woven material heretofore woven and using binder-warps, as in Patent No. 22,528, so far as I am aware, the binderwarps appear on both sides the fabric, and if one face of the fabric is worn away the integrity of the fabric is destroyed. More than three ply could be woven on the same principle without departing from this invention.

To increase the thickness of this fabric, additional pairs or sets of warps may be added, and, after inserting a weft in the shed formed between the pairs, each one of the pairs will be alternately locked with the weft between the adjacent pairs of warp, and in this way the thickness of the fabric may be increased as may be desired.

One or both faces of the fabric may be coated, covered, or impregnated with indiarubber, or its preparations, as common in the manufacture of bands, belts, or hose fabrics, or may be used without coating for sail and other cloth, or duck, or web, and may be made of cotton or of other fibrous material, in whole or in part.

The weft will be introduced by a single shuttle, and will be laid, as indicated by the crossing-wefts 1 2 3, in sheds made for its reception, as before described and represented, the weft extending from one shed to the other and passing about the warps at the edges or sides of the sets of warps,'forming selvages. The warps will preferably be coarser than the weft.

The set of warps-b and one or more of the wefts, or weft 1, may be of wire.

I claim A fabric composed of two or more pairs of warps, wefts between the warps of each pair, and Weft adapted to tie alternately the one and then the other of the warps of each pair with one and then the other warp of the adjacent pair, all united, substantially asidescribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES E. GILLESPIE.

Witnesses:

G. N. GREGORY, S. B. KIDDER. 

